Providing high quality health care costs money and the government rebate provided through Medicare falls a long way short of covering all the costs. Just like you, the cost of our utilities has risen (rent, electricity, cost of specialised equipment, human resources, computers and so on), medical practices are just as affected by these rising costs as anybody else and especially so in a Medicare freeze environment.

 

For this reason, we have introduced fees for some consults to ensure you still receive quality health care from experienced and highly trained practitioners all within a well-resourced and pleasant practice environment. The government’s indexation of Medicare rebates has not kept pace with the rising cost of practice. On average, AWE and CPI increase by 3.3% per year to cover the rising costs of practice. Medicare rebates only increase by 2.1% per year. The difference is a decrease in the value of your rebate, making your rebate worth less every year.

 

Click here to view a graph from the AMA that illustrates how the ‘gap’ has widened over the last 30 years.